Portrayed gaze….

From the documentary Ways of seeing, it shows that the media and men have always portrayed women in general as an object. It’s as if women can’t think on their own on how they want to look like and how they want to dress like. They are being “programed” by the media, as if looking slim, sexy, spotless and in perfect shapes, as Susan Douglas says in her book, it is as if, “something we can get simply by watching or buying.” Also as she gives the example of a “American” who are suppose to, “to independent, individual, tough..,” while a “Women,” is suppose to be dependent, passive, nurturing…” What?? What is the difference between an American and a Woman? Women are not American?

This kind of views are still used to this because the society in their unconscious mind accepts it. Killbourne, says in her book that mostly adolescents are “vulnerable” to these massages। Basically what these young girls run after is the “male gaze,” if they are not a certain way then they are not good enough for the boys. When magazines and famous figures also come in public and show themselves in a certain way, it creates a even more pressure in young people to be like “her,” have hair like “her”, to look glossy like “her.”

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Killbourne quotes Margaret Mean, “ today our children are not bought up by parents, they are brought up by the mass media.” This is where kids learn to smoke and drink from; this is where kids learn to have unprotected sex from, how? When they show the ad of a young couple holding each other and the caption says, “You can learn more about Anatomy after school.” What are they trying to portray from this massage? When teen Magazine like, Jane, cover stories are titled, “15 Ways Sex Makes You Prettier, ” or “Are you good in Bad?” Doesn’t this tech girls to be pregnant, to go look for sex instead of school education?

My views have changed in many ways from these readings. It bothers me that most women do not realize that they are being represented my world in such a ways. The more we learn about history we see that this is a issue that took place at all times. During the time of slavery the slaveholders observed women before they were bought. The women were taken to private rooms so they can be observe, and so their slaveholders can make sure they were able to give birth.